Testing Ren
by YaoiK
Summary: After a late phone call summons them back to Gunma, Mihashi and his parents find themselves in the middle of a huge problem: Mihashi's grandfather wants him back at Mihoshi! And he'll go to great lengths to get what he wants. Will Ren be able to pass the tests his grandfather has ready for him? Or will he be dragged back to Mihoshi against his will? [AbeMiha]
1. I The Call

I do not own Ookiku Furikabutte; all rights go to Asa Higuchi  
Any Original Characters presented in this fanfiction belong to me  
Any OC paired with a canon character will assist in moving the plot and are not to be permanent relationships (aside from friendships and platonic affections)  
This story contains a lot of my personal Oofuri headcanons

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I. The Call

Night was just barely beginning as Ren Mihashi found himself finally heading home. It was the dead of winter, with cold winds and even some snow falling around the pitcher as he walked. When a harsh gust blew past his face, nipping his nose a soft red, he couldn't help but wonder if this thorough training program was a good idea. Coach's winter training was really tough, but he knew that it was all for keeping up his and the team's strength until spring. Regardless, Ren was somewhat relieved that it was over for the day; he was finally able to return home to his parents and warm bed.

"I'm home…" he all but groaned as he stumbled in through the door.

"Welcome back, Ren, how was training?" his mother asked, walking up to meet him. "Did you work hard?"

"Yeah, it was good, we did a lot today." Ren said softly, clearly exhausted from that day's training. He yawned widely and his mother couldn't help but smile while she helped him remove his coat.

"Why don't you wake yourself up with a bath while I make you something to eat?" she offered, nudging him towards the stairs. "You can't go to bed with an empty stomach, you know!"

"Okay, Mom." Ren nodded, slowly making his way upstairs while his mother went to the kitchen. Ren would always come home so tired and worn out, and while she knew that it was all for keeping him in top shape for baseball, there were some days she just wished her son could have a break from it all.

Before Naoe Mihashi could reach the kitchen, the phone rang just as she was passing the living room entrance. She thought briefly that answering it wouldn't take long, but as soon as she picked up and asked who was calling, the voice that answered assured her that this would be a very long call.

"Good evening Naoe, I'm sure you know who this is." The voice said. It was that of an older man, and Naoe recognized it immediately. "Would you mind putting Reiichi on? I need to speak with him."

"Rei hasn't returned home as of yet." Naoe answered strongly. "I'm sure you can speak of the matter with me just as well."

"You know why I can't do that." The man grumbled. "You have no say, so there's no sense in even telling you."

"…It has to do with Ren, doesn't it?"

* * *

As Ren rubbed his towel on his head, he relished in the warmth of his room before his growling stomach reminded him that he needed to eat dinner. Making his way out of his room and down the stairs, he found his father standing in the hallway outside the entrance to the living room. Ren cocked his head to the side in both curiosity and confusion, usually his dad wouldn't be home for hours, why was he home now?

"Hey, Dad—"

"You've got to be kidding!" Naoe's voice shot through the air, startling Ren. His father, Reiichi Mihashi, instantaneously noticed his son's presence, and went to shoo him upstairs while his mother continued to shout. "If you think I'll just let you do as you please, you're wrong!"

"Dad, what's going on?" Ren asked quietly.

"Not now, Ren, go back upstairs." His father said, nudging him away. "We'll talk about this soon, just go to your room for now." Ren complied, and as he walked up the stairs he watched his father's expression grow dark. What was happening?

"There has been too much going on already, I won't let you drag Ren into this!"

_Huh?_

"Naoe, calm down."  
"Rei?"  
"Give me the phone."  
"But, Ren…"  
"It'll be alright."

The air grew silent for a moment before Ren heard footsteps leading further into the house. He could only assume that his mother had relinquished the phone and went to the kitchen, as he heard his father speak and make pauses to listen to whoever was on the phone.

"It's rare for you to call… No, I knew this wasn't over. …I'm in agreement with Naoe, there's no reason to bring Ren into this. …Tch, and here I thought things had been going well. What else have you been scheming? …No sir…" He sighed. "I know… You don't have to remind me. …Alright, I understand. … No, I'm sure Ryoko will allow us to stay with her, so don't bother. … Yes… Good bye."

Ren heard the phone clack down onto its dock, causing him to flinch and scurry to his room. He knew eavesdropping was wrong, but his curiosity has gotten the best of him. Besides… if Ren remembered correctly, Ryoko was his aunt's name; Ruri's mother. And staying with her would mean that… they were going to Gunma.

But if that was true… _Why?_

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Boy howdy I haven't been on fanfiction in a while now!  
Welp, no better way to get back on then with some new material and updates!  
Dunno if anyone will bother reading, but eh, I love writing, so it's all good for me!  
Reviews keep me going, I'd really appreciate your opinions!


	2. II He's Not Here

II. He's Not Here

"_Hey, Hamada, it's Mihashi. U-Um, I was just calling to let you know that… that I'll be gone for a few days starting today. I-It's a family thing, so it's nothing you have to worry about… really. A-Anyway, could you please tell the team not to call me? Er, after you get this message, th-that is. I-It's not like I don't _want_ you to call… it's just that I might… not be able to. B-But it's just f-for a little while! I-I'll be back soon! Bye!_"

That was the message left in the voicemail of Ren's charismatic childhood friend, Yoshiro Hamada, in an attempt to ensure his team didn't worry or try to contact him. Ren and his parents would be making the trip to Gunma the day after the strange call, and after notifying Coach Momoe of Mihashi's temporary absence, the message was left. Unfortunately, as Ren's luck would have it, Hamada's cellphone battery had died mere minutes before he left the message. And even when the cheerleading captain got the chance to charge his phone, he didn't realize it was there, and thus didn't listen to it. Thankfully, this was more to Ren's favor than to his disadvantage.

After Momoe had spoken with Naoe, she made the gracious decision of letting the boys have those few days off from training. If Mihashi wasn't present, it'd worry the whole team for one, and it wouldn't be wise for him to fall behind in the training for two. So after letting the team know of her decision, but not telling them the reason why, Yuichirou Tajima took it upon himself to organize a little get together for the team, if not just to relax and hang out together. As a bonus, his grandparents would be taking a short trip to the hot springs, so it was perfect timing!

As the cleanup had been calling all his teammates' houses (in order to get permission from their parents easier), he realized there were a few rooms in his grandparents' house that needed cleaning up, so as he rushed to go do that, he completely forgot to try calling Mihashi's house. And once the team started showing up, it wasn't until Abe asked about Mihashi that Tajima remembered.

"I can't believe I forgot!" he exclaimed. "He's probably gonna think up something crazy if I call now! But he doesn't live that far away, I'll go and see if he can still come!" Without negotiating with anyone else, Tajima threw on his jacket before speeding off on his bike, leaving the rest of the team to their own devices.

"Jeez, he never thinks, does he?" Abe grumbled. "If he gets sick, Coach is gonna chew him out."

"Let's just wait til he gets back." Hanai suggested. "It wouldn't be right to mess with his stuff while he's out."

Abe agreed, and huffed in exasperation regarding the cleanup hitter. First this impromptu get together, now he goes rocketing down potentially icy roads without as much as a helmet on! Really, there were some days the catcher wondered if he used his brain for anything other than baseball sometimes.

Regardless, as he joined the rest of the team in the living room where a large TV sat opposite of a large sectional, he paid attention to what they were talking about, particularly the reason why Coach had given them some time off.

"I've been wondering the same thing." The catcher sat beside Hanai, taking out his cell phone. "She didn't specify, but she doesn't usually give us time off for no reason. Even if it is just a gracious act on her part, she'd still tell us."

"Then do you think it has to do with something we don't know about?" Sakaeguchi suggested. Abe shrugged.

"Either way, we could use a break." He said. "But don't think Coach will be taking it easy on us for the rest of the winter. Once we're back to training, we'll go back to our usual routine." A few of the boys groaned at the sound of that. Momoe's training had really worn them out these past several days; going back to it didn't sound so fun. "Hey, it's to keep up our strength, because come spring—" The catcher was interrupted by his phone buzzing in his hand. Creasing his brow, he brought it up to his ear: it was Tajima.

"_He's gone_." The cleanup said solidly on the other end. He was off his bike, pacing the sidewalk in front of the pitcher's home. "_The windows are all dark and I've called the house four times with no answer._" He paused. "_He must have gone somewhere… and didn't tell us_."

Abe grit his teeth at this news. That definitely wasn't like Mihashi…

"Have you called his cell phone?" Abe asked.

"_Not yet._" Tajima answered. "_I was just so sure he'd be home…_"

"Well he's not, so get back here ASAP." Abe said. "We'll call his cell once you get back; hopefully we can get an answer that way."

"_Right, I'm on my way back_." Tajima said, before hanging up. Abe closed his phone before gripping it tightly in his hand. This can't be good…

"Was that Tajima on the phone just now?" Oki asked. Abe snapped out of his train of thought to answer.

"Yeah, Mihashi's not home, so he's on his way back now."

"Mihashi's not home?" Izumi repeated. Abe nodded. "That's weird, are you sure he's not?"

"He called the house four times." The catcher said. "And even if Mihashi's asleep, I'm sure he would've answered the second or third time. The ringing would've woke him."

"Did he call his cell? That'd wake him up easier." Mizutani said.

"He hasn't yet, but it's better to get him out of the cold instead of let him stand there for a good hour." Abe said. "So we'll call when he gets back."

"Then you better get dialing." Hamada said, pointing outside. "He's here already."

"Idiot! Stressing himself out, he's only gonna hurt himself like that!" Abe barked, but flipped open his phone nonetheless. "Make sure he gets in here in one piece."

"Got it!" Hamada grinned, heading for the front door, only to shout as Tajima burst in and ran into the living room. He wrenched off his jacket and tossed it to the floor with a sharp glare on his face. There was a moment of stiff silence before he stepped forward, glancing to Abe's phone.

"Well?" he asked. "Are you calling him or should I?"

"I-I'll do it!" Abe was overall surprised at how insistent Tajima was about this. He was sure Mihashi was fine, so what did the cleanup have to be so serious about? Regardless, the catcher dialed Mihashi's phone number and set it to speaker, placing it on the coffee table. As it rang, the entire time gathered around it, wondering if Mihashi would answer or not.

It was after the fifth ring that the phone was finally answered.

But the voice who answered wasn't Mihashi's.

"Hi, hi! Tis's Riku, who's tis?"

_Who the hell?!_

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I got this idea recently, so it's still new and I'm working out all the kinks and whatnot  
If you like, do tell me what you think. I'm sure I'll figure out where it'll be going soon enough.


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